Overview
- In the NBC News survey, 63% said a bachelor’s degree is not worth the price versus 33% who said it is, with many citing debt burdens and a lack of specific job skills.
- Support has flipped over time: in 2013 a majority called degrees worth the cost, and by 2017 the public was roughly split on the question.
- Partisan gaps are steep, with only 22% of Republicans saying a degree is worth it compared with 47% of Democrats and 32% of independents, and just 46% of college graduates now calling their degree worth the cost.
- Long-run pricing trends underscore the skepticism, as inflation-adjusted in-state tuition at public four-year colleges has roughly doubled since 1995 and private-college tuition has risen about 75%, according to College Board data.
- Despite the shift in views, federal data still show higher earnings and lower unemployment for degree holders, and interest has grown in technical, vocational, and two-year programs as faster, cheaper routes into the workforce.